WASHINGTON, Jan 19 US President Joe Biden's administration begins to recognize that Ukraine may need additional capabilities to strike at Crimea, the New York Times reported, citing sources.
«After months of discussions with the Ukrainian authorities, the Biden administration is finally beginning to it will take forces to strike on Russian territory, even if this step increases the risks of escalation,» the publication says.
The White House, as the newspaper notes, until recently refused to provide Kyiv with weapons to strike targets on the peninsula , but «now this line is starting to soften.»
«The Biden administration began to believe that if the Ukrainian army showed Russia that control over Crimea could be threatened, it would strengthen Kyiv's position in future negotiations,» the newspaper writes.
In addition, the White House began to subside «fears» that Russia might use tactical nuclear weapons, although authorities and experts reportedly still do not rule out the possibility.
As a result, the administration is now contemplating one of its «most daring steps» — helping Ukraine attack the peninsula. The U.S. is considering a range of weapons, including HIMARS and Bradley IFVs, as possible means of attack, but has refrained from supplying long-range missile systems.
«U.S. officials say they don't know how (Vladimir) Putin would react if Ukraine is attacking Crimea with American weapons,» the publication sums up.
On Wednesday, State Department spokesman Ned Price said that Kyiv itself makes decisions on how to use Western weapons. According to him, the United States does not encourage or assist Ukraine in strikes against Russia, but does not recognize Crimea as Russian territory. billion dollars. Moscow, for its part, has repeatedly stated that the supply of Western weapons only prolongs the conflict, and the transport of weapons becomes a legitimate target for the Russian army.